Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies Requirements

  • Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies is an interdisciplinary minor which places the study of women, gender, and sexuality at the center of the curriculum. It is designed to include cross-cultural perspectives on the experiences and contributions of people in the United States and around the world, as well as to relate gender to other forms of social difference such as sexuality, race, class, ethnicity and nationality.

    By taking specially focused classes in Anthropology, Art, Economics, English, Film Studies, History, Media and Communication Studies, Politics, Religious Studies, Sociology and Theater, GWSS students have the opportunity to examine how gender and sexuality shape different aspects of people’s lives. Drawing upon history and interdisciplinary theories, our classes ask how the implications of these studies can help us address pressing problems at home and abroad.

    Because gender and sexuality are fundamental to the ways people understand themselves, a minor in GWSS can enhance practically any other field of study. Students interested in a self-initiated major in GWSS should contact the GWSS Coordinator and at least one other member of the GWSS faculty.

    Requirements for Minors

    A minor concentration in Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies consists of 20 credits. All students must take GWSS-200. The remaining credits must come from the following courses and from at least two, different departments:

    • GWSS/ANTH-212
    • GWSS/ART-373
    • GWSS/ECON-210
    • GWSS/ENGL-228
    • GWSS/HIST–101, 102, 126, 227, 251, 303, 332, 377
    • GWSS/IDS-441
    • GWSS/MCS-319, 340
    • GWMS/MUS-305
    • GWSS/IDS/PSYC-214
    • GWSS/SOC-263
    • GWSS/THEA-215, 217, 218, 315

    Students may apply only one course from their major toward this minor. Seminars, directed reading courses, internships, special topics courses, and up to four credits of independent study projects above the 100-level which deal with the study of gender, women and/or sexuality may be substituted for the courses listed above with the approval of the course instructor and the coordinator of Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies.

    Students may apply only one internship (GWSS-381 or 382) and one directed readings course (GWSS-370 or 375) toward the minor.